According to thisSouthern Metropolis Daily report today, Zhao Haibin, a member of the Public Security Bureau Party committee in Lufeng, a small city next to Shanwei, looks to holds the current record for greediest official of 2013 with known ownership of at least 192 flats.

The flats, scattered between Lufeng, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Huizhou, are all listed either in Zhao's name, under his company, or 'Zhao Yong', the certified alias he told the Daily yesterday he only uses for "commercial purposes" to help out his brother, who Zhao says is the actual owner of all 192 properties which Zhao only helps manage.

Local millionaire Huang Kunyi reported Zhao's alter ego to authorities after being sued by 'Zhao Yong' over a property he purchased in a 2009 bankruptcy liquidation auction. Huang eventually won the lawsuit to own the property, but the local PLA logistics department holding the official deed refused to hand it over.

Southern Metropolis Daily also notes both Zhaos' ID numbers and other details were easy to find online in connection with other complaints.

Here's the Xinhua version of the story and SCMP's long and growing list of officials taken down in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

The only things that will begin, and I mean begin, to remove the cancer of corruption from Chinese politics and society are an independent judiciary, a free press, and regular opportunities for the people to vote for or against their representatives in free and secret ballots, overseen by another independent body. These are essential prerequisites. Then of course other things such as a cap on election campaign spending etc to prevent the situation degenerating into the kind of supermarket politics that tarnishes US democracy. When are we going to see truly 'scientific development' in this respect? Come on China... let us see some leadership for the rest of the world... prove that you have a civilisation worth emulating.